New Stomping Grounds in St. Paul

​Dog Walk Discoveries (April and May, 2016)
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In April 2016 I moved to St. Paul. Moving can make a person feel disoriented, but I felt a little more grounded after discovering these butterflies on the sidewalk outside Riverside Library. And there's a reason for that. 

​This blog by my friend Karen Henry Clark explains it all.  

Years ago, someone decided that a little sapling in the lawn would be allowed to live. 
​It would NOT be pulled up or mowed down. That is one lucky, plucky tree.  
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​I love the colors and textures here...seeds and stones.

Not sure if this is funny or creepy.
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Real church for real "people." Hmmm...Those quotation marks make me a little nervous. What kind of people are we talking about here? 
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The best for last...I was walking along Winslow Avenue and was absolutely delighted to discover a short poem stamped in the sidewalk. And then I found some more! Turns out the poems are part of an ongoing public art project by the city of St. Paul. Here's a link to the Everyday Poems for City Sidewalk page. ​

​She was steward
of the smallest things: pair of dead bees in the windows
​Santa ring, cluster of elm seeds in their felted cells

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​I wanted to tell you the name of the street
where I crashed my bicycle, got my best scar
or how I went walking at sunrise
to see dawns' great evacuation of stars.
There must be some method, when two people meet
​to explain to each other who we really are.

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​Success

Whippets love wombats and cheaters love rules
like canaries love cats and truants love school.
Earthworms drink tea from fine china cups
and ponies give birth to white black lab pups.
You can see from your ears and smell from your eyes
​and you'll always succeed, you just never try.

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A little less war
A little more peace
A little less poor
​A little more eats.

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​I'm kind of glad I didn't know about this project beforehand. Coming across these poems totally out of the blue—what a surprise and a joy!